In this inspiring
interview, Lana Jane shares her running story, having been
inspired to fund raise for Parkinson’s Disease.

What did you do with your time before running?I always liked to keep fit. Having trained as a dancer from a
young age, through to University (I did a Dance performance degree), my
focus was always on fitness for health rather than just to look good.
Mainly I did strength and core work, and particularly enjoyed classes
involving weights and TRX. Running was something I shied away from, and
certainly not something I was ever keen on doing

What made you
decide on a marathon as your first running event?My Uncle was diagnosed with Parkinson’s
Disease a number of years ago. Having watched his rapid decline and
the effect it has had on the family, I always felt helpless, which is
very difficult when you are so close to someone suffering. He was very
fortunate to receive a Deep Brain stimulation operation in 2011, which
has certainly improved his quality of life tremendously, but still the
disease is debilitating. I wanted to personally do something to help
find a cure for this awful disease. I was so bad at running, 10 minutes
was a stretch for me, and this was common knowledge amongst all my peers
and family. One thing I knew people would donate towards would be me
running a Marathon, particularly one as iconic as London. I entered VLM2014 in the April of 2013. In the October I
discovered I had a place. I don’t know if I believe in fate, but given
how difficult it is to get a place, I like to think it happened for a
reason.

Family &
friends are clearly important to you – how has your Uncle inspired you?My Uncle is, and always has been, an incredible man. Growing
up he was the life and soul of the party. Generous, kind, funny, you
could not ask for a better Uncle, or person to look up to. He is my
Dad’s best friend and therefore I was very fortunate growing up with him
as such a huge part of my life. The effect this disease has on someone
is impossible to describe, it would take hours, and there are so many side effects that many won’t be aware of. John has
always maintained his sense of humour throughout his diagnoses and
decline caused by the disease. He makes jokes about it, he will not be
beaten by it, and his strength in the face of something he ultimately
has no control over is impossible not to be inspired by.

I would love to say I would have the same attitude if faced with
similar, but I truly think it takes a very rare character to deal with
something like this the way he has. Whenever I feel I cannot be bothered
to do a training session, I think of the fact he doesn’t get to make
that decision. He never gets to choose whether to run or not, that
decision was made for him, and this makes me so grateful for the simple
fact I can do it whenever I want to.

Who or what else inspires you?I am inspired by so many for so many reasons. My family have
all got such strong morals and close bond that every day I want to do
them proud. In running terms, I think its common to look up to faster
and more experienced runners as I am always striving to do better, go
further, run faster.

In truth, I think I am often more inspired by those people who take
longer to cover the same distance and never give up. It’s hard to say
that without sounding patronising, but I find it so inspiring watching
those final runners who easily could have given up when they know they
are at the back of the field of a big race, hardly anyone around to
cheer them in. That takes true guts and commitment. A good friend I met
on a running site was unfortunately plagued with injury last year and
missed out on doing her first marathon (Brighton) in 2014. She completed
it this year, basically two years of training to complete that one race.
It was possibly my proudest moment, watching someone so determined to
achieve their goal no matter what efforts it took.

Now you’ve just completed the London 2
Brighton Challenge 100km. How was it?Tough! I went with a very different strategy to my usual ‘pace
yourself and keep something in the tank’ on road marathons. My aim was
to get as many miles under my belt whilst feeling good, knowing there
would be low points further down the line.

The first 40km I got done in a relatively quick time and I felt amazing.
Then my ITB issues flared up and to be honest it was touch and go for a
while whether I would finish or not. I think a few friends who saw me on
route expected me to have to drop given my awkward walk/shuffle. BUT, I
was determined not to give in, and got a second wind when the knee eased
off a bit.

The second half of my race was much slower – I could have pushed harder
as fuelling had gone well and I otherwise felt strong, but I would then
have risked pulling up entirely, and that was just not an option. The
final hill over The
Downs during the last 10km of the race was really tough. It’s a
relentless climb and seems near impossible when you’ve already covered
such a huge distance. You reach a checkpoint at the 88km mark and in
front of you is this massive hill you’ve been heading towards for miles.
But once you get to the top, the views are absolutely stunning and
absolutely worth the pain.

Finishing was very emotional, I felt overwhelmed and I
have to say I’m so proud of myself. This time two years ago I hadn’t
even done my first race yet (British 10km in July in prep for London Marathon). To have completed 10 times that
distance just doesn’t seem to have sunk in. It was the hardest thing I
have ever done – but absolutely wonderful. I loved it!

Is most of your training goal or enjoyment driven?Having started out very much hating every second of running, I
was purely focused on the goal ahead – raise as much money for charity
and get through the marathon. In the process I fell in love with
running, and got a little race addicted. I think this is common when you
first start improving, or certainly seems to be the case with the people
I speak to. I find races are good as it gives me a goal, and something
to strive towards. My training is always more diverse with the need forsprint
intervals, hill
repeats etc. But I am definitely more focused on enjoyment now, and
a huge run in a park with no real idea of how far I am going to run or
for how long is a great way to explore beautiful places. There is so
much to see, and running is a great way of doing that.

So you’re not one for @stravawankers then? 🙂Hahahaha! I think I have managed to avoid that tag. To be
honest, it’s easy to get carried away with obsessing over pace, and
beating segments etc. Because my training has been so focused and
tailored to my goals, I haven’t been able to get distracted by those
things thankfully – I can appreciate why people do. I also think whilst
I would never even consider logging a walk around a shopping centre for
instance, if it makes people more aware of their fitness and health,
then that’s only a good thing. But no, I certainly wont be logging
myself mowing the lawn any time soon!

How do you get through the emotional and physical battles on
such endurance events?The mental side is the biggest challenge. I know I have the
fitness for it now. The work for races tends to come before, and as long
as I work hard and eat right, the only worry is injury. Seeing a physio
regularly has been a great way of keeping my body at its best. I do rehab exercises
before I am even injured, because I know my weak areas and don’t want to
find a problem too late and be out for weeks trying to fix it.

But mentally it is tougher. It is also tougher the longer you are out
there for. Sprinting a 10km tends to hurt from start to end, but you
know its over relatively quickly. An endurance event tends to just
slowly get tougher, and so much time in your own head, you do end up
questioning everything. It’s a constant battle of ‘can I do this, I
could just stop, ouch is that a niggle or a real injury, my goodness I
can’t do it, what was I thinking’. I think I put too much pressure on
myself sometimes because I am raising money for charity for this event,
which means I always panic that I will let people down, and that can
easily put you in a negative state of mind. But equally it’s an extra
push when I am suffering and considering giving up. That combined with
the knowledge that every time I have thought I won’t make it, I have, I
think mentally I am stubborn enough to make it. There’s a lot to be
said for being stubborn (a family trait I have picked up!)

Haha! You’re clearly driven by challenges – what others are on
your bucket list?My bucket list tends to have two new things added every time I
tick one off! There are a few races I am desperate to do – Comrades, Marathon Des
Sables, New
York Marathon, Race to the Stones. There are so many beautiful
places to run now I am keen to explore a bit more. I also have a
Skydive to do soon – this is something I am so excited about. To be
honest if someone came to me with a challenge I would probably say yes
before even considering what it was – I love testing myself. Any ideas?

That is some bucket list Lana! What lessons would you pass on to
fellow runners?Don’t go too fast when you start – it’s so easily done. Go
slower and cover more distance then slowly build up pace. Also, it
hurts. I know so many people who told me it wasn’t getting easier, even
though their stats showed they’d gone faster or further. It doesn’t get
easier, you just get faster I think is the saying. Also switch it up a
bit. Always going out and covering the same route and same distance at
the same pace gets monotonous. Explore new places, add in hills, do some
sprint sections. All of this helps improve your running, but even if
you’re not looking to improve, it keeps it exciting and interesting.

What’s the best running advice you’ve ever been given?Turn off your watch. I went through a stage where I hit a rut
and panicked every time my pace wasn’t quite the same as normal. This
also happened during a race recently, and the second I stopped looking
at pace I felt far calmer. My second half without the watch ended up
exactly the same pace as my first half with the watch – it showed me you
must trust your body, don’t rely on technology as it can get the better
of you!

Very true. What has the running community given you?Without it I don’t know if I would have made it to my first
marathon. The support and advice is incredible, and chatting with such a
diverse selection of people, all different levels of achievements and
goals, makes it much easier to be confident in yourself and your own
abilities. I honestly feel a sense of belonging within the community,
but it also gives me accountability knowing others look up to me
(regardless of whether I believe they should or not) – I can now give
newcomers the advice and support I was given when I started.

What would you
say to anyone thinking about taking up jogging/running?DO it. You probably won’t like it at first, I didn’t. Butstick with it and you will find a new joy, a new way to
explore, and a great way to keep fit. You’ll also find an amazing
community to be a part of!

In three words, describe your running story.

Unexpected. Determined. Euphoric.

Lana thank you so much for sharing your story. What you’ve
achieved so far is incredible and shows how we can surpass our
expectations when we have a cause. Can’t wait to hear how you get on
with your skydive! #ThisGirlCan

p.s. Lana’s favourite post-run food is not as healthy as her
usual clean diet. But then that’s the beauty of running 🙂

I am very mindful that I am one of many runners sat here today overthinking every single aspect of pending ‘race day’ tomorrow. I feel very similar to how I did before my first ever race; have I packed everything I need, do I have the right fuelling, is my body ready, can I do this? The biggest difference is that my first race was a 10K road race, and I knew it would be over in an hour. It is just under two years later, and tomorrow I plan to attempt 10 times the distance, mainly off road on trails.

I don’t have much to say ahead of the race, as quite honestly I have no idea what to expect. I know I have prepared as best I can under the circumstances. I know I am mentally tough and that I can keep going through pain and exhaustion. BUT, and this is a huge, massive, ginormous BUT (not my derriere which is relatively in proportion l think!). Having never done this distance, and needing to cover 17 miles more than ever before, it is impossible to know if I can achieve this or not. Its a route I have never covered before, terrain I haven’t had to contend with, and a distance that I still am not entirely sure I comprehend. The unknown is scary, but equally I am thankful it will all be a surprise – sometimes knowing what’s to come is more of a worry than not.

What I can categorically say is I am determined to give this everything I have got. I will crawl on my hands and knees if it gets me to that finish line. If something goes wrong and I have to walk the whole way, I will do it. The only thing that would ever prevent me completing this is an injury that would cause me long term damage if I kept going. Otherwise I will take the entire Bank Holiday weekend to complete this if I have to (fingers crossed it won’t come to this as I quite fancy a couple of days rest!).

This is my biggest challenge, and despite my nerves, fear, and apprehension, I am in fact hugely excited and can’t wait to get started. I am confident none of the above will happen, I am certain it will be the toughest thing I have ever done, but I also know I will feel a new sense of achievement and elation when it is done. Think of me tomorrow, it will be a long day out for all of us, even the speedy ones – lets hope theres some nice food on the way to distract us from the pain in the legs!

London 2014 was the reason I had to start running. My Uncle suffers with Parkinson’s and I wanted to do something for him, and to help others with the same debilitating disease. Having got in on the ballot, first time, I took on the huge challenge of learning how to run – this was not something I could do. I was lucky to raise over £4000 for Cure Parkinson’s Trust, so many kind people donating for my efforts for that one run. I fell in love with running in the process, and decided that 2015 had to be even bigger to try and raise as much money as possible. After much thought, my 6 week challenge was decided – 2 marathons and a 100km Ultra (Brighton, London and London to Brighton).

Post Brighton

I surprised myself with how quickly I seemed to recover from Brighton. Within just a couple of days of the race I felt sprightly, and my mini ‘recovery’ and ‘test runs’ were back to normal almost instantly. 2 weeks to recover seemed fine based on how my legs felt and what my heart rate was saying, and my huge challenge suddenly seemed less daunting. I was certain I could do it.

Then, just a week after my Nan’s funeral, and a couple of days after Brighton, we received the concerning news that my other Nan had been taken ill during a routine operation and was in a very bad way indeed. It took a few days to learn the enormity of the situation. An elderly lady taking longer than normal to come to from anaesthetic seemed almost standard given her age. But soon it transpired that what was happening was far more devastating, and sadly we lost my Nan that weekend. A difficult time mourning one grandparent, and worrying about how your parents are coping, developed into another huge and unexpected loss for me and the family. Concerns for my parents were taking over my thoughts, and shock seemed to take over. Is this for real? Two grandparents in little over two weeks, surely not?

London was a week away, and given all that was happening, I gave it very little thought. I did little running, just enough to keep the legs turning, and my mind was not focused on what was round the corner. The expo was great as always. I collected my race pack and chip on the Wednesday, managed to avoid any more unnecessary purchases, and floated around the Excel centre in a little world of my own. How things had changed from the first time I did this. I wrote on the Adidas Boost wall, and went to the booth to have a picture taken with my number. I really thought about the wonderful man who’s amazing spirit has spurred me on to do of all of this. I may have been sad, it may be a difficult time, but the world keeps turning and this was for me, and for him. London Marathon was special to me and thinking about his strength and determination, I was motivated (and stubborn – a Hornigold trait). I was going to love it.

The race

I was not nervous, I had nothing to prove, and just wanted to take it all in. Starting in a pen far closer to the start line than the previous year I knew I would be running soon. The excitement levels around me were escalating, until we were soon moving towards that huge start clock surrounded by cheers from the supporters and runners around me. Before I knew it I was off, I was running London Marathon for the 2nd year in a row. The first few miles ticked away and I felt great, much more in control than the start of Brighton. Seeing the odd person I knew supporting throughout the course made the time go faster than expected. My coach had mentioned we wouldn’t really know the true effects Brighton had had on me until around the 20 mile mark, so I tried my best not to push too hard. At mile 8, heading towards Surrey Quays, I felt my hamstring getting tight. Not too concerned I kept at the same pace and hoped it would ease off. By the time I reached the 10 mile marker my legs were getting tighter and I knew this feeling – I was clearly fatigued. Interestingly my HR was spot on, cardiovascularly I was fine, just my muscles were not too happy! I knew I would have to slow down, but also knew by the 14th mile I would see the Cure Parkinson’s cheer point and my parents who had come to see me. I crossed Tower Bridge to the deafening noise I so clearly remembered from the previous year – I challenge anyone not to crack a smile or feel emotional when you have hundreds of people shouting your name, ringing bells and cheering you on. This is easily the most iconic moment of the race for so many runners, impossible to explain unless you have been there. Feeling inspired, I pushed on towards Wapping, and as soon as I went past the 13 mile marker my eyes were peeled. I was going to see my darling Mum and Dad soon.

I spotted Mum first, could see her desperately trying to find me amongst the constant flow of runners. I shouted as loudly as I could and then locked eyes with her, swiftly followed by my Dad leaning forward to catch a glimpse of me. Their excitement was like nothing I have seen, such pride in their eyes I struggled to keep the tears away. At this point I felt emotional enough. Then I saw what I thought was my Uncle Mark and my Auntie Karen. Then my other Auntie Sue (married to John, my Uncle with Parkinson’s). I couldn’t believe it. They had all come to support me, the tears arrived at this point!

Once I had gone past I knew I had to slow down. Having had knee trouble only a couple of months ago, I was all too aware if I wasn’t careful I could end up having to walk the entire second half of the race. I slowed to a walk and at the next water station stood and stretched as much as possible. My knee completely locked up, so a slow hobble until it released, and back to jogging. I never thought I would have to walk or stop, but it was the sensible thing to do. Through the Isle of Dogs, and the section everyone despises, I was jogging, walking, stretching, jogging again, to try and cause as little damage as possible. I never felt out of my depth though, just guilty for walking and making people wait longer than they expected to see me again.

I pushed on and I knew I would see my family soon. A loud shout from my right, and I spotted my childhood best pal Carly (delayed reaction meant I had to rotate around to see her, but always amazing spotting people you know). Then I was running as fast as I could. Literally sprinting towards the charity point, desperate to get there as soon as possible. As soon as I reached the family I stopped for a kiss and a cuddle with each and every one of them. This was the best feeling, and there was no way I was just running on past. I told them I was being careful despite the pain in my legs.

Then came the classic line that everyone needs to hear at mile 22, “save some for the big one”. Yes, a lovely reminder from Mum that in just 4 weeks I had a 62 mile Ultra to contend with!

After a couple of Jelly babies I ran on, soon entering the ‘disco tunnel’ as I now call it, I felt like I was on the home straight. The shouts go louder and louder and soon I was at the final mile, searching for my darling Bug pals who had come to support. Expecting them earlier I thought I had missed them, so just took in the moment and ran with a huge grin on my face past the growing crowds. Reaching Buckingham palace I was loving every second, then the familiar sound of my darling friends, cheering with prosecco in hand so proud of ‘Lana Legs’ nearly finishing her 4th marathon to date….and somehow it got captured on camera – a wonderful moment

Then the home stretch. As I reached the last few hundred metres I lifted my arms with happiness. Somehow amongst the noise I heard my friend Perrin shout my name, and turned around to see him belting out my name and punching the air with a ‘COME ON’, he looked so happy for me, I just ran with the biggest smile and took in that wonderful moment of finishing my second London Marathon (in a respectable time of 4 hours 1 minute).

I crossed the line feeling ecstatic to have done this second challenge, collected my medal, and in my own little bubble of happiness managed to bump into three runners I know. Two I have only met on twitter, and it was so wonderful to see their grinning faces, so proud of what they had just achieved. The other is a great athlete who had advised me so much in my gradual introduction to running, it was fitting I should see him on completing the event a year on that he had helped me so much with. He had achieved the most incredible time and it was a pleasure to share such joy for a few moments.

Finally I made it to my meet point, and dived into the arms of my Proud Dad. Lots of hugs and kisses with the family, and of course fizz, my Mum then arrived and all the emotions of the last couple of months came out in the longest hug I think we have ever had. What a wonderful day, what a fantastic support, and what a lucky girl I am.

I soon met with my lovely supporters and a couple of other great runners, and we headed for dinner together and reflected on the races we had. All very different, all struggling at different points, but each achieving the same thing – we had completed London Marathon in its 35th year, the year of the amazing Paula Radcliffe’s retirement. A day I shall never ever forget.

Brighton was the most nervous I have ever been for a race. It had been a tough few weeks with the loss of my darling Nan, and her funeral just a few days prior, to be honest I think in any other circumstance I wouldn’t have been running. But knowing I would see my wonderful group of ‘bugs’, running and supporting, and the fact I had been fundraising as part of my bigger three-part challenge, combined with my own stubbornness, meant I would go and drag myself across that finish line if I had to. There was no way I would let anyone down.

Arriving on the Saturday, I went to the Expo on my own, and of course got sidetracked by beautiful trainers…the perfect distraction pre race. Soon I had met up with all the Running bug group, and seen all the lovely UKRunChat crew for tea and nervous chit-chat. Dinner with everyone that evening distracted me long enough that I didn’t think too much about what was to come, and despite some VERY noisy male occupants waking most of us in the early hours in the Hotel, I got an ok nights sleep.

Waking on Sunday, my main focus was food. All my race kit had been prepped long before I went to bed, so it was a case of dressing, grabbing food in the hotel (the porridge by the way was dreadful!) and heading on my way.

Walking to the line as a group was a new experience, my two previous Marathons I had travelled to on my own. I have to say it was a welcome distraction as I was petrified – emotionally exhausted, mentally in the wrong place, I knew this would be tough. Never before have I felt this kind of nervousness, I hid it as much as I could but my confidence had gone. Why was I doing this? How could I do it? Memories of my second marathon GFA time vanished, I was mad thinking I had the mental or physical strength for a marathon, this was a bad idea.

Having dropped my bag and stood in a toilet queue for a good 10 minutes, I realised there was no way I would make it in time to get to my pen before the start. At this point I made a judgement call and ran to the edge of Preston Park, found a tree that vaguely hid my now bare bum, squatted and relieved myself, weeing in full site of the thousands running that day, with Maria stood over me giggling. I couldn’t have cared less at this point, and in hindsight, pretty funny!

I then headed straight for my Pen, which was completely full and dispersing out onto the grass at the side. Stood there, completely blocking out the noise of the runners, I wondered how I would feel once I got moving. This was the first time I had no concept of what to expect, but I battled with my brain and remembered I was strong and I COULD do this, and most importantly, yes I was doing this for charity but also, I love running!

As the race began, I ran as only I know how. Tried my best to take in the route and maintained my own pace without being distracted by others around me. This is something I learnt last year, and I am pleased to say I managed not to get swept away in the initial sprint off that invariably happens at these events. Within a few miles I was feeling great and maintaining a fairly even pace, feeling comfortable and enjoying it already. The hill that seemed to worry everyone before hand was ok, and any undulations after were noticeable, but a welcome challenge to add to the route. Having made a decision (that I highlighted to everyone pre race) to just go and enjoy it, somehow ‘race Lana’ had taken over and every now and then I was checking my pace rather than my heart rate to ensure I was on track for a sub 4 again. This is why I got into trouble.

Nearing mile 15 my Garmin decided it would no longer track me, or my Heart rate. It dropped to about 40 beats per minute and I was tracking at 15 minute miles, and then 3 minute miles. It was impossible for me to know how fast I was going, or whether I was pushing too hard for not enough. I lost all sight of my initial ‘enjoy’ plan and got panicked. This was made worse a mile or so on, hearing someone cheer ‘go Nan’ next to me. Emotions took over and tears filled my eyes. This is when my angel Sarah appeared (Satay, Darah or Crunning as she is also known, who deservedly got her GFA time at this event). She spotted immediately that I was not my normal chirpy self, gave me a good talking to, told me to turn my watch off and just enjoy. She doesn’t realise how much she helped me that day, but quite honestly, without her, the entire run could have been ruined for me. I did exactly that. Watch off. Stop worrying. Walk if you have to. Who cares?!

And remarkably, I started to feel ok. In fact I felt good. No idea how fast or slow I was going, and nor did I care. I got a wonderful wave from Dan who was busy sipping from a beer bottle after his epic 10K, and as I started to near the dreaded section leading to the Power Station I remembered why I do this. I love running. I love the challenge. The only real pressure on me was what I was putting on myself, and as soon as I relieved myself of my own expectations, I was enjoying it, even the pain!

Nearing Mile 21 I caught sight of lovely Caroline, grinning from ear to ear, waving and cheering. I asked where the others were ‘around the corner’. This was the bit everyone dreaded, but what I was most excited about. In true bug fashion, there was Nelly, Pauline and Di sipping fizz, cheering on with Mark’s gorgeous wife Sharnie and daughter Keira. Pauline cheekily offered me a sip from her glass as I ran towards them. Well I said I was going to enjoy it..I am not sure she expected me to stop for a swig or two, but I did. Much to the delight and entertainment of the others!

After this it was up to the Power station and back past the bugs, a wave (no secondary prosecco sadly) and down to run along the seafront. The cheering got louder and the crowds busier, until before I knew it, I was running past Alexandra, Chris and Steve on to the home stretch. I crossed the line with absolutely no idea what time I had done, I hadn’t even looked at the finish clock, but presumed I had done just over 4 hours or so.

As soon as I got hold of my phone I looked at my notifications from people who had been tracking me. I had so many I didn’t know where to start, friends and family had been watching my every move, and updating one another on my progress. It was such a touching and wonderful thing to see. I had to ask what time I had done and thought I had surely imagined the time of 3 hrs 47.21. Not only that, my pacing was near perfect, with a slightly negative split (second half marginally faster than the first). To say this was a shock was an understatement. I had stopped for prosecco, I had run at a comfortable pace and not over worked, and managed to get a great time whilst still enjoying myself! What a revelation!

I have learnt so much from this race. I trust my running ability much more. I clearly know how to pace myself and actually ran stronger without my watch on (though I can’t say I won’t be using it in the future!), maintaining an almost identical pace in the second half without it, to what I had achieved in the first half with it on. But also, its only me stopping myself from enjoying it. It doesn’t matter what other people’s expectations are of me. I am never going to win any trophies, but my goodness I have come a LONG way in the two years I have been running. Not only that, despite all the emotional battles I was having on the day, I enjoyed the majority of the run, and my goodness did I enjoy that party afterwards!